Album Review: Benjamin James Caldwell - Benjamin James Caldwell

This relaxing yet melancholy collection should easily charm lovers of contemporary folk. Offering variants in each song, Caldwell evokes a coherent theme without becoming stale. Opener, Formaldehyde strikes you, with his mournful baritone voice exuding a lonely Western quality. Meanwhile the instrumentally simplistic Rosie doesn't yield any more than it needs to, allowing its bittersweet, country-style boy/girl harmony to shine. Caldwell largely excels in more understated tracks that emanate creepy gospel undertones. His extended vocals in Over The Line, however, crack the EP's beguiling murkiness.